IndexIntroductionThe Search for Forgiveness in The SunflowerThe Importance of Forgiveness in HealingConclusionWorks CitedIntroductionWorld War II, the deadliest military dispute in history, claimed many lives and left behind an immeasurable pain for the living so far. Over time, some physical wounds caused by the war have healed and left scars, but mental pain continues to torment the soul every day. Some pain will be unforgettable, such as the mental and physical pain caused by the cruelty the Nazis inflicted on the Jews during the Holocaust. Those mental pains and terrors haunted the Jews for the rest of their lives. In his book The Sunflower, Simon Wiesenthal, a Jewish prisoner who survived the Nazi concentration camp in Germany during World War II, writes about his experiences in the concentration camp and his conversation with a dying SS soldier named Karl, who wanted to confess his sins to ask for forgiveness from a Jew during his last minute. After hearing Karl's confession, Wiesenthal does not feel free to move forward with his mind because he doubts whether his decision to leave the room without giving an answer to Karl was right or not. Therefore, Wiesenthal asked everyone reading this book to think about what they would do if they found themselves in this situation. Some people argue that Karl should not be forgiven because he chose to join the SS army on his own. However, from my point of view, I would give forgiveness to Karl if I were Wiesenthal because the power of forgiveness emerges as a central theme in The Sunflower by Simon Wiesenthal, a Jewish survivor of the Nazi concentration camp in Germany during World War II. We say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay Searching for Forgiveness in The Sunflower The Sunflower is the story of how Jews were badly treated and humiliated by the SS during the concentration camp. Jews were forced to work long hours without eating. Many Jews died of starvation and a disease called typhus. Their deaths were soon forgotten and they didn't even have graves. In contrast, every SS soldier would have a sunflower on his grave to remember after death. Each sunflower symbolized a dead SS man and seemed like a connection between dead soldiers and living life. One day at work in a military hospital, the former technical high school, Wiesenthal was asked to follow a nurse to see Karl, a dying SS man. During their conversation, Karl confessed the terrible experiences he had made to Jews to follow Nazi orders and why he had joined the Nazi army, then Karl begged for mercy from Wiesenthal, a Jew, before dying. To respond to Karl's request for forgiveness, Wiesenthal chose to leave the room and say nothing. However, Wiesenthal was still uncertain about his behavior towards a dying SS man, so he asked everyone's opinion as if they were faced with this situation. In my opinion Karl deserves forgiveness because he was a good person by nature. In a conversation with Wiesenthal, Karl's mother confessed: “He [Karl] was always ready to help without being asked. At school he [Karl] was truly a model pupil'” (90). This shows that Karl was a very good guy. Of course, someone who knows how to care for others and is always willing to help people unconditionally is obviously a kind-hearted person. Furthermore, Karl also admits: “'I was not born a murderer,'” and “'I was actually a servant of the church and a favorite of our priest who hoped that one day I wouldstudied theology'” (31). These statements show that his personality was a good young man who believed in morality. Before joining the Hitler Youth, Karl was born and raised in a good and strictly religious family, where Karl's father was a Social Democrat and his mother was a devout Catholic (31). Therefore, Karl was taught to be a good person. In his conversation with Wiesenthal, Karl confessed to his crimes in all honesty, and his entire confession only to seeking peace of mind before leaving the world of the living. For example, Karl said, “'I can't die. . . without saying it clearly'” (53). This shows that until the last minute, Karl's whole desire is to return to his honest nature. Why did Karl hope to see some Jews before he died? Or did he want to pretend to beg for mercy? No, of course he didn't pretend to. Karl did everything from the bottom of his heart and had to seek mercy to release the guilt that tortured his mind every day. In the conversation between Wiesenthal and Bolek, another prisoner, Bolek stated: “'I don't think [Karl] was lying to you [Wiesenthal]. When you are faced with death you don't lie. On his deathbed he evidently returned to the faith of his childhood"" (82). Yes, it's true that Karl wasn't lying. He felt truly guilty and deeply remorseful for all his crimes. Karl can choose to contact his parents at the last minute or save what little precious time he has to do what he hasn't done yet. The Importance of Forgiveness in Healing However, Karl begged a nurse to help him see a Jew and confessed all his sins to a Jew before his death. Karl was courageous when he confessed his crimes in front of Wiesenthal because it was not easy for anyone to admit their guilt. This shows that Karl knew that what he did to the Jews was both cruel and totally wrong, so he hopes that he can do at least one last good thing in his life before he leaves. In the conversation between Wiesenthal and the Dalai Lama, the Dalai Lama “believes that one should forgive the person or people who have committed atrocities against themselves and against humanity” (129). This shows that people should open their hearts and forgive those who knew their mistakes. In general, only those who never know they are wrong are blameworthy; otherwise, forgiving will release the burden from everyone's mind. According to the article “Between Forgiveness and Unforgiveness,” Zenon Szabwinski shares his thoughts, “Forgiveness has been valued for centuries because it has the power to heal emotional wounds, restore human relationships, and break the chain of violence.” It is true that forgiving is the best way to release hatred and revenge. What if the hatred was serial through hatred and then had to be resolved with revenge? If so, the world will always be at war and without peace. Forgiveness is a way to let go of grudges and help everyone have peace of mind. When one knows one's mistakes, people should pity him. Therefore, in this case, I would give forgiveness to Karl, a dying man. Also, I would forgive Karl because he was brainwashed by Nazi leaders and has to follow higher orders to kill Jews. Since the Jews were strangers to Karl, all the information Karl had heard about the Jews came from the Nazis. In fact, all Karl understood "about the Jews was what came out of the loudspeaker" or what the SS leaders had their soldiers read (40). Karl states: “'We were told that [the Jews] were the cause of our misfortunes. . . They tried to overwhelm us, they were the cause of war, poverty, hunger, unemployment'” (40). This proves that the Nazis brainwashed their soldiers, including Karl, and gavetheir wrong information about the Jews. SS leaders constructed misleading information about the Jews to find rational reasons for their crimes. The Nazis wanted their soldiers to believe that killing Jews was the right thing to do and made them feel not guilty when they killed innocent people. All SS soldiers believed that the more Jews were killed, the more heroic the soldiers were called. Karl also confessed that Nazi leaders educated their soldiers: "The Jew is not a human being" (49). Therefore, for Nazi soldiers, killing Jews was a necessary and right thing to do, so they killed large numbers of innocent Jews without any culprits. The leaders of Nazi Germany wanted to genocide the Jews in a righteous way. In general, every soldier must obey the orders of the leaders, they cannot deny it because the orders were their duties; above all, this was Nazi Germany, a cruel dictatorship. Karl knew nothing about the Jews, and the SS army brainwashed Karl with the wrong information that the Jews were very evil and inhuman, so he asked the SS soldiers to kill the innocent Jews. He was blinded by the truths of Nazi Germany. Karl was a soldier, in his position he had to follow the orders of the leaders without any conditions. The crimes committed against the Jewish people were beyond Karl's control, and Karl was unaware of his actions. Although Karl killed many Jews, his action could be explained by his tendency to obey the authorities. Therefore, I believe that Karl committed his crimes unintentionally, and I would give forgiveness to this dying man. The Moral Dilemma in The Sunflower Furthermore, some people will argue that Karl volunteered for the Hitler Youth; however, in reality, Karl was not mature enough at his age to fully understand what he was doing. Therefore, I would still give Karl a chance to earn forgiveness. It is true that Karl joined to become a self-employed soldier. At that time, all young people his age were influenced by Nazi propaganda. They simply thought that joining the army was an essential thing to do. Karl was not the only one in his group to volunteer in the Hitler Youth, but many of his friends also joined like him "without thinking twice, as if they were going to a dance or an outing" (32). This shows that Karl and his colleagues took part in the army as a movement without any hesitation. However, at that time Karl was too young to make the right decision. According to Karl's mother, "'He [Karl] was sixteen at the time and part of the Hitler Youth'" (88). Yes, Karl was only sixteen, an age of impulsiveness, risky behavior and sheer rudeness, when he joined the Hitler Youth, later becoming an SS soldier. Generally, at sixteen you are still a teenager, and not yet an adult; so it is easy to understand that they cannot make the right decision on their own. They are influenced by their friends and their surroundings. With a young mind, Karl was dragged by his friends and joined the SS army which he later regretted. Obviously, being under the influence of the surrounding guidance, Karl decided to do the things he didn't fully understand, but to fully support them. According to the article “Propaganda: Fight for the Minds of Children,” written by Dennis Behreandt, “until 1939, the Hitler Youth counted among its members up to 63% of all children aged 10 to 18 in Germany. ”. This shows that at that time there was a movement of young people who followed one another to volunteer in the Hitler Youth, like Karl. Hitler's government set out to capture and use young men to become his soldiers. At this age, young people normally believe easily. 25-28.